


thanks.

by ansutazu



Category: Kagerou Project, Mekakucity Actors
Genre: College AU, F/M, Fluff and Angst, and some slight cursing but it isn't that bad?, rated t for the ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 03:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16779091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ansutazu/pseuds/ansutazu
Summary: i wanted to be your tomorrow so i lived today. // one-shot college au shinaya.





	thanks.

**_monday, august 10, 20XX._ **

**> > ayano tateyama**

shin!! shintaro!!!

shintaro~~~~

shin~ta~ro~~~!

reply quickly~~

**> > me**

You’re really going to spam my messages? What do you want?

**> > ayano tateyama**

are you busy on saturday? owo

**> > me**

Not particularly. Why?

**> > ayano tateyama**

eeeh~~ asking me that?

silly shintaro!! hehe.

let’s go on a date!

**> > me**

…

Date?

**> > ayano tateyama**

yeah!! date!

it’s been a while since our last one, you know. :(

and since finals are this week i’m swamped…

it feels like i’ve been stuck in this library for years!!!

pretty pretty pretty pretty please can we go somewhere?

i won’t go overboard on planning this time either.

i’ll do my best on finals i promise!!!!

**> > me**

…Is the date some sort of reward for you?

**> > ayano tateyama**

ehehe…caught me

please? uwu

**> > me**

Fine. Saturday. I’ll pick where to go.

Just focus on your studies.

**> > ayano tateyama**

thank u!!!!

i lo~ve u!! <33 gluck on your project btw!

——————————

The boy sighs, putting his phone down and swiveling his chair back to the computer with the excruciatingly bright screen showcasing the song he had been working on prior to her texts, words and buttons only the second year music major could comprehend. The song remained untitled for the most part, saved as a string of letters from different sides of the keyboard in a fit of mental exhaustion a week ago when he conceived the lyrics for it, scrambling to fit them into a melody at two in the morning despite his eight AM class that would unleash hell on him six hours later.

It wasn’t a project, to say the least; he was too embarrassed that the song would be for _her_ , for the girl saved as ‘Ayano Tateyama’ in his phone, to his _girlfriend_ of eight months (and counting).

And he had to perfect it.

He goes back to working on the song, relying on his soda to keep him awake the rest of the night.

* * *

**_tuesday, august 11, 20XX._ **

**> > ayano tateyama**

shintaro~ i’m sleepy~

**> > me**

At 10 PM? I guess that’s way past your bedtime.

**> > ayano tateyama**

hey!! >:c

i’ve been studying all day…

i miss you. :(

**> > me**

I miss you too.

Just remember Saturday and keep studying, okay?

**> > ayano tateyama**

o~kay~

actually…tomorrow i don’t have a class in the morning.

before i go to the library, wanna go eat something? ^w^

please…~~

**> > me**

You’re breaking your rule of not seeing me so you can focus on studying for Thursday and Friday finals.

Are you sure?

**> > ayano tateyama**

it’s just for a bit…

just need a little more motivation

please…?

_[image attached]_

pretty pleaaaaase!!

**> > me**

Fine.

10AM at the Daze Cafe sound good?

**> > ayano tateyama**

sounds good!!

i’ll see you tomorow!! get some rest too <3

——————————

“…What the hell, that’s so _cute_.”

Shintaro pulls up the image she sent him, a selfie of her in the library, books piled all around her. Her hair seemed a bit ruffled, signature hair clips in slanted dismay, a finger poking her cheek. But what really got him was the puppy-dog eyes that just _screamed_ absolutely adorable, the pout sending his heart into maximum overdrive.

It was the face of someone who seemed to just really, really, _really_ wanted to see their boyfriend.

She frequently sends selfies, more than he expected, but surprisingly, he was fine with it. He was even more surprised when he found himself making a photo album on his phone titled “cute”, saving all of the pictures in it along with the ones he’d take of her when they were together (secretly, because if she found out he’d been saving pictures of her, she might just malfunction).

Ah, this one was too cute, though.

His lock screen is a simple default wallpaper, but he changes his home screen to the newest selfie, feeling his mouth twitch into a smile as he did so. It replaces yet another picture of her, one where she wasn’t paying attention, gazing softly at the could while the sunlight illuminated her face. He found himself changing his home screen quite often.

(He doesn’t tell her she’s his home screen wallpaper in fear of the aforementioned consequences.)

He slips his headphones back on, resting on top of the bedhead he had attained from sleeping the afternoon away. He’s afraid he won’t get that rest quite soon — the selfie had lit a fire in him, and he would tamper with the vocals tonight.

* * *

**_wednesday, august 12, 20XX._ **

“Ah, warm!”

The girl in front of him takes a sip of her hot chocolate, smile spreading across her face as she does so. She wasn’t one for anything bitter, coffee leaving a particularly bad taste in her mouth. He doesn’t blame her, but he’s trained himself to drink black coffee at this point, giving him the boost in caffeine he needed to get through the day.

The place wasn’t too crowded; it was one of the college’s lesser known cafes, with only just a few patrons strewn about, even with the inevitability of finals coming in the next two days. But that’s probably because it was an even more obscure part of campus, tucked near the edges of the back, right alongside the humanities building in which Ayano belonged to.

The literature major took another sip but took a second to tilt her head at Shintaro, blinking. “How’s your project going? Is it almost done?”

“Ah, that…I guess you could say so.” He scratches the back of his head, feeling a bit sheepish answering a question veiled in lies. “Yeah, I’m in the midst of mixing it, but it’s almost complete. Just a couple more days is all I need.”

“I’m sure it’ll turn out great!” She gives him a thumbs up, and god, the flip his heart just did was unbelievable. He takes a sip of his coffee to seem as unbothered as possible even though he was practically _dying_ inside, and maybe because he didn’t want to admit that it was nice to see her after she said that she would do nothing but study starting on Monday and that “I hope you understand that you might not see me much, but don’t hesitate to call or text if you miss me, okay?”

Though he was too stubborn to do either of those, Ayano did it for him, and he was thankful.

“How are you doing? What’s your first test on?”

“It’s my French test!” She lets out a nervous laugh, looking out the window and into the blue sky and scenery the college offered them. “Something about present-progressive, the past participle, and irregular verbs. _Je sers, tu sers, il sert, nous_ …ah, I just studied this yesterday!”

“Hey, don’t worry. You still have tonight.” He reaches out to give her a pat on the head, and the smile — god, her smile was so beautiful — widens even more than he imagined. “You got this, okay? Go kick those finals’ asses.”

“Ehehe, thank you!” She glances out the window for a few more seconds before she turns to Shintaro, taking his hand off her head and lacing her fingers around it — damn, that was too smooth. When did she learn that?

“Do you think…I can listen to your song on Saturday? I’m kind of curious…your songs are always so good, you know.” She has those eyes again, those eyes he just _can’t say no to_. How annoyingly cute. “ _Please_ …!”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fine. I’ll have it done by then.”

* * *

**_thursday, augsut 13, 20XX._ **

**> > ayano tateyama**  
****

french test in 2 mins!!

shintaro…am i going to be able to do it?

**> > me**

Of course you can.

**> > ayano tateyama**

ahhh…i’m so nervous….

**> > me**

You’ll do great.

Remember Saturday.

**> > ayano tateyama**

you’re right!! the date!!

okay it’s starting TALK TO YOU LATER I LOVE YOU

* * *

**_friday, august 14, 20XX._ **

**> > ayano tateyama**

i finished my last final!!

i did it!!!

yaaaaaay~~!!

**> > me**

Congrats.

**> > ayano tateyama**

ehhh….what’s with that response

hehe, thank you. <3

i’m excited for tomorrow!

i can’t wait to hear the song!!

**> > me**

Go sleep now. You’ve earned it.

**> > ayano tateyama**

roger that!

——————————

Knowing his girlfriend was going to get an actual eight hours of sleep was enough to set him at ease, his state of being relaxed enough to continue with his song. It was nearing the final stages of mixing — just a little tweak here and there and it’ll be good.

He hopes she likes it, the lyrics, the sound, everything coming from his heart. He’d never shown himself like this before — he’s not the type to talk about his feelings _ever_.

Even if it had just been eight months, Ayano had done so much for him, the awkward first year who couldn’t talk to anyone in his building and chose a single dorm because of it, the stumbling first year who fell in love with her in no time, the stubborn first year who did his best to ignore it, the defeated first year who finally admitted it that winter. He had received so much from her, who pretty much shone as bright as the sun itself. It was light in the darkness, a perfect warmth that enveloped him knowing that she existed at the same time as him, that she existed beside him.

And he was thankful. He was so, so thankful.

The song was missing a title, but the word he repeats over and over again is perfect for it.

He saves the song one last time, finally pleased with the results, and he replaces the jumped keyboard smash with that one word.

It was perfect.

* * *

**_saturday, august 15, 20XX._ **

They were to meet just before seven, before the sun dipped in the distance and introduced the night to the world. He would wait outside Ayano’s favorite pizza place, which wasn’t cheap, but not too expensive, either. A good meal was always a good reward.

After that, he planned for them to go take a walk in the park — Ayano liked the winding pathways, and she liked to name all the squirrels that would scuttle by. A breath of fresh air would be needed after the intensive workload college brought about.

And then after that, he would sit her down on one of the benches, shyly handing her the earbuds that were connected to his phone, which held the song he made for her — and he would reveal it then, that it wasn’t a class project but a gift for her instead — in the music app. He would press play, and he would hope for the best.

_Wherever you were_  
_If I could hear you, I would run to you without second thoughts_  
_Back then, back then_

_My young heart was only so playful back then  
When I see you smile, I felt something_

The familiar melody that he meddled with plays in his ear as he leans back on the bench, gazing up at the night sky. He couldn’t bear to remove it from his phone, from his playlist, from anything — it was probably his most played song ever since she died.

He didn’t know why. He didn’t _understand_ why. They said was that she jumped off the roof of one of the buildings. They said that her family was devastated. They said a dark cloud was hanging around that day. They said it almost seemed like it swallowed her whole.

That was years ago. He never went on that date that Saturday. He never got to show her this song. He cried for weeks. His dorm was a mess. His songs became jumbled, frantic. Somehow he managed to graduate college, somehow managed to get a job producing music. They said his songs had such deep emotion, such complicated meaning, this and that. They said he had talent.

He misses her.

Those typical words — he wanted to say them then, and he wanted to say them now.

It was night, but the sun was shining somewhere. She was somewhere.

_I hope this song gets conveyed to you  
_ _Thanks._

**Author's Note:**

> started out with me listening to monday to saturday thinking of something nice but then i had Ideas
> 
> anyway everyone say thank you seventeen for thanks and director's cut!


End file.
